


A new beginning

by Kamaleen



Category: Haikyuu!!, Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual Content, kageyama needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 15:11:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11489001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaleen/pseuds/Kamaleen
Summary: A tall lean male candidate walked out from the furthest back of the line, and he's the one Ushijima had seen outside the shatterdome in the morning. His hair was black, his eyes dark blue, but the most standing out feature about this male were ugly scars on his left arm and up to the back of his neck.Standing in front of him with a blank face was Tobio Kageyama. A former jaeger pilot from Kyushu shatterdome."Kageyama?""That infamous pilot from Kyushu shatterdome?""Heard he overloaded his partner's brain, almost got them both killed.""What is he doing here?""He's too dangerous! What were the marshal thinking?"Almost immediately, Ushijima heard how the crowd thought about the former pilot standing in front of him in black tank top and a bō staff in his left hand. However, listening to them wasn't his job, so Ushijima took his stance and waited for Kageyama to take his.





	A new beginning

 

**19st December 20XX**

 

 

 

 

It's nearly Christmas. It's time for celebration. This should be a happy time for everyone.

Ushijima sighed as he kept jogging. It was freezing but he just couldn't stay inside. It's too crowded, it's too full with people and emotions.

Several years ago, a Breach between their world and others had opened and caused turmoil thorough the world. Cities were destroyed, life were lost. They fought back until the Breach was closer. But then, several years after their victory, the second Breach appeared just several kilometers from the first one.

Ushijima pushed himself to run faster as he rounded one corner of Kanto Shatterdome. He had been living here for two years now, seven kills under his belt.

A call came in, and Ushijima pressed accept without looking at on the screen on his wrist. Then, a familiar voice came through his earpiece.

" _Wakatoshi-chan_ "

"Tendō"

" _You're outside?_ "

"Yes."

" _Okay, just get back in before the meeting._ "

"Got it."

Tendō hung up and Ushijima kept on running. He estimated that it would take him another five minutes to complete the full round and pushed himself to run faster. He ended up making it in four and a half.

 

As Ushijima slowed down to a stop in front of the gate leading inside the shatterdome, something caught his interest. No, not something, someone.

Black hair, tall and lean, dressed in long sweat pants and hoodie. Ushijima saw only the sight of the face, but that's enough to tell him that he hadn't seen this person in the shatterdome before.

 _Must be one of the new recruits,_  he thought as he entered the building.  _Tendō said that they arrived yesterday._

Tendō had been Ushijima's co-pilot since they graduated from the academy. They didn't have a perfect sync, but above the passing score and enough to get the job done. However, in their latest mission, they're cornered by two kaijus and one of it managed to crush Tendō's side of the jaeger before another jaeger intercepted in time. Although they managed to defeat both monsters, but Tendō's injuries were severe. His friend did survive, but he could no longer pilot a jaeger.

" _It's okay, don't worry about me."_ Tendō said when the doctor allowed Ushijima to visit. The redhead was still on the bed with tubes hanging around him with legs and arms in plaster casts.  _"Honestly, I think I'm lucky. I'll be teaching and wiping those cadets into shape while you'll be out there fighting and risking your life."_

Ushijima was able to tell that Tendō was telling half of the truth. It's true that the redhead was excited about teaching those cadets, but he knew that Tendō was still upset about his condition. However, there was nothing more that they could do.

He walked into the cafeteria and went straight to grab his breakfast. Tendō was already there, waving for him from the table on the side of the room.

"Good morning Tendō" he greeted his former pilot as he set his tray down.

"Good morning Wakatoshi-chan," Tendō replied. "I can't believe you still went out there. It's freaking freezing!"

"It helps clear my head." Ushijima replied, taking a bite on the sandwich. Across the table, Tendō was going on with the latest show he had watched last night.

After breakfast, Tendō had to check up with the doctor while Ushijima went to get change. He had a meeting with Marshal and other officers within two hours. Ushijima doubted that it was about his new co-pilot.

 

 

After taking a shower and dressed up, Ushijima exited his quarter and headed for the control room.

"Ushijima-kun! You're early." Akira Saitou, J-Tech Chief LOCCENT Officer, greeted him with a smile. Ushijima returned the greeting and went straight to the table in the middle of the room where the meeting would be held.

It didn't take long for others to arrive. The first pair were the Miya twins. Their jaeger's name was 'the Challenger', and they already had six kills under their belt.

The next jaeger pilots to arrive were Kiyoomi Sakusa and Motoya Komori. Then Kourai Hoshiumi and his co-pilot. After that came the officers and Marshal Hibarida Fuki.

The first thing they talked about was the global situation of kaijus attack. From what their K-Science Officer had calculated, the next attack would happen within sixteen days, but they must always be ready. After that they moved on to the situation at the shatterdome.

"…overall, everything functions like it should be." Marshal Fuki said as he turned to look at Ushijima. "Which left us with the last topic. Ushijima-kun, the selection for your new co-pilot will start at 2 o'clock. Are you ready?"

"I am." Ushijima's reply was short and straight to the point. Beside him, Sakusa was listening with interest.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

None of the new recruits were good enough, as far as Ushijima could tell.

He had sparred with nearly most of them, but no one 'click' with him liked when he first sparred with Tendō.

"Next."

The trials had been going on for an hour now. Even a naturally calm person liked Ushijima would be slightly agitated that no one managed to get at least a point or two from him. Normally Ushijima wouldn't think of questioning his superior, but since his thirty-first victory he had started glancing back at the marshal. Also, the distinctive sounds of the audiences talking about how good he was didn't life his spirit one bit.

 _What's the point of being good if you cannot find a compatible pilot?_  He thought as he sent another candidate flat on his back.

Ten minutes later, there were only six candidates left, the marshal finally held his hand up after Ushijima won another spar. Everyone in the room immediately stopped talking and all eyes were now on him.

"Kageyama" the marshal called, and murmurs immediately erupted around the room.

 _Kageyama…_  Ushijima frowned.  _Is that…_

A tall lean male candidate walked out from the furthest back of the line, and he's the one Ushijima had seen outside the shatterdome in the morning. His hair was black, his eyes dark blue, but the most standing out feature about this male were ugly scars on his left arm and up to the back of his neck.

Standing in front of him with a blank face was Tobio Kageyama. A former jaeger pilot from Kyushu shatterdome.

"Kageyama?"

"That infamous pilot from Kyushu shatterdome?"

"Heard he overloaded his partner's brain, almost got them both killed."

"What is he doing here?"

"He's too dangerous! What were the marshal thinking?"

Almost immediately, Ushijima heard how the crowd thought about the former pilot standing in front of him in black tank top and a bō staff in his left hand. However, listening to them wasn't his job, so Ushijima took his stance and waited for Kageyama to take his.

Kageyama seemed to be hesitated at first, then he took his stance and Ushijima could see the other tensed up. Kageyama was ready.

Immediately, Ushijima strike. He hit his target which was Kageyama's shoulder quickly. The other immediately returned it with a swipe of his staff which nearly sent Ushijima to his knees. However, that's enough, because now the staff in Kageyama's hand was inches away from his face.

"One-one!" the officer beside the marshal shouted the score.

 _He's good._  Ushijima thought as they took their stances again. This time they jumped at each other. Their staffs swung as they tried to get the next point first.

Ushijima managed to take this point with a jab to Kageyama's side. In that moment he wasn't sure if he imaged it, but Ushijima thought he saw the other male frowned slightly.

In their next attack, Ushijima noted that Kageyama seemed slow on the left side than the right.  _Is it because of the injuries from the past?_  Ushijima thought, connecting Kageyama's faltered pace with the scars he saw. But it seemed like he had been thinking too much because Kageyama still managed to swipe him off his feet in the next second.

"Two-two!"

 _He's good._  Ushijima decided.

As they both went for the third point, Ushijima noted that Kageyama was good in reading his movement as much as he was good in reading the other man. Their staffs collided and they both jumped away to take a defensive stance. Ushijima couldn't help but note that their breath also seemed to be in sync. They inhaled and exhaled with the same rhythm.

 _Maybe._  A voice in his voice shouted in joy as they both dived for the point.  _Maybe he…_

"Three-three!"

 _Maybe he is…_  Ushijima thought as he rolled and aimed for behind Kageyama's knee. The other pilot immediately stepped away. Then he came with his staff, swinging it and aim it toward Ushijima's bicep. However, due to the slight slowness of his left side, Kageyama wasn't able to deliver the final blow in time. Ushijima was able to dodge and then he smacked the other pilot softly on his left torso with his staff.

_He is my co-pilot._

The crowd around them were talking but it seemed like Ushijima had tuned everything out. All he focused on right now was the man in front of him. His co-pilot.

"That's enough." The marshal said, clapping his hands. "Next."

 _Next?_  Ushijima blinked.  _Hm, he's not going to risk that chance that there might be a recruit who can sync with me better than Kageyama then._  He then turned to look at Kageyama, only to see that the other had left the ring to stand among the rest of his candidates.

The rest of the trails went quickly. It ended up like Ushijima had thought; no one could sync with him as good as Kageyama did. The marshal dismissed them quickly, telling Ushijima to meet him after lunch and find out who his co-pilot would be.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"So, this Kageyama was the only one who managed to get to the third point?"

"Yes."

"Impressive." Tendō nodded as he took another bite of his lunch. "So…how are you feeling?"

"Hm?"

"Are you relieved to have him?" Tendō continued, picking his apple up from the tray. "Or are you concerned about him?"

"I feel neither of both." Ushijima replied. "I haven't synced with him yet, there's no way to tell if he's good or bad."

"Yeah, but you know his story right?" Tendō gave him an expression the redhead reserved for when he's telling a ghost story or something scary to the cadets or his co-worker. "Overloading his co-pilot brain in their third mission, nearly be smashed by the kaiju. That co-pilot, his name is Hinata I believed, spent two weeks in coma."

"It's a story everyone knows," Ushijima said, his voice was calm and monotonous like always. "I've read the reports."

"Oh, and what the reports say about him?" Tendō chuckled. "I don't think they said that he didn't overload his partner's brain, right?"

"The reports note that Kageyama had higher nerve impulse than other pilots." Ushijima said calmly as he thought about what he had read before lunchbreak. "This was a problem when he was in the academy. He nearly overloaded Kindaichi and Kunimi when they did the stimulation."

"That doesn't sound like a good start."

"Then, he was paired with Hinata." Ushijima continued, ignoring Tendō's comment. "Their neural handshake succeeded because Kageyama was able to tune down his nerve impulse while Hinata's nerve impulse was strong enough to counter him. Shortly after that they were assigned to pilot a jaeger called 'Little crow'."

"Yeah, and they'd killed two kaijus before everything turned to shit." Tendō spoke up with a mocking grin. But when he noticed that Ushijima was glaring at him, the redhead held both his hands up. "Sorry, sorry, just stating the truth."

Ushijima kept his glare for a second or two before he continued. "A year ago, on their third mission, Hinata had a flashback. He's out of alignment in the middle of the fight and the kaiju nearly ripped the jaeger's right arm off. Kageyama decided to take over."

Tendō's eyes widened. "I… I didn't know that…"

"Kageyama didn't limit his nerve impulse because he didn't know how much it would take to control the jaeger alone." Ushijima continued. "He ended up gaining 100% control of the jaeger, but at the same time he sent Hinata chasing the rabbit. After that it's what everyone knew. Kageyama was able to hold on until reinforcement arrived. Another jaeger, 'Black cat', was able to take the kaiju down before it destroyed the 'Little crow'."

"How did he survive that?" Tendō was gaping. "I'm surprised the neural load didn't kill him."

"He's in coma for three months."

"What?!"

"He's in coma for three months." Ushijima repeated, taking another bite before he continued. "It's a miracle that he's able to recover from that."

"Totally agree." Tendō nodded, sighing. "Man…I… I don't know what to say."

Ushijima didn't reply to Tendō. He let the other talked his ears off while he focused on the test with Kageyama in the afternoon.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ushijima was the first to reach the stimulation room. He had already suited up and was ready for the Drift.

Kageyama walked in several minutes after him, suited up and ready. Ushijima noted that the younger man looked so pale under the eerily blue lights of the room.

He offered Kageyama a small nod and Kageyama nodded back, both of them said nothing as the officer asked them to take their position. Since Ushijima's major hand was his left, so he chose the left side while Kageyama took the right side. However, even if his major hand was his right, Ushijima would still take the left side judging from the scar on Kageyama's body.

The door was closed, and the wires all connected. Everything was ready.

"Initiate neural handshake in 15 seconds."

Ushijima glanced at Kageyama who glanced back. In that split second, Ushijima thought that he saw hesitance in Kageyama's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"…10…9…8…"

He closed his eyes and focused on what's happening right now. All he had to do was to let himself go, let the silence enveloped him as he travelled through memories.

"…6…5…4…"

Ushijima risked a final glance at Kageyama, who also did the same. Their eyes met before they both looked away.

"…3...2…1"

Memories flashed through him, both from his own and from Kageyama. Ushijima heard a sound of someone cheering, he saw a volley ball flew through the air and was a bit surprised to learn that Kageyama could play volleyball. Nevertheless, he let everything flew through and thought of nothing but the silence and darkness of the Drift.

The first second in the Drift was nothing but silence. Then it all started.

The first thing Ushijima noticed was a heartbeat. A heartbeat which was not his. Then he noticed a breath, a slowly exhale and inhale which were also not his. Then a gentle touch in his mind.

He felt the link now, a steady line between him and his co-pilot. Kageyama's nerve impulse was steady, stronger than Tendō, but also steady than his former co-pilot.

Ushijima opened his eyes and looked at Kageyama who looked back to him with a surprised smile on his face. And without words, they held their right hand up, followed by their left hand.

"Right hemisphere calibrated. Left hemisphere calibrated. Ready to activate the jaeger."

 _We did it._  Kageyama's voice flashed through his and Ushijima sent an affirmative back. He could feel the younger pilot's enthusiastic to be back in the Drift again. However, he also sensed the fear lining under the calm current of Kageyama's mind.

"Neural handshake, strong and steady," a voice came through a speaker as both of them lowered their hands down. "Now, we're continuing to…"

 

The Drift in the stimulator was a success. Actually, everything went smoother than what everyone had expected. They fought the artificial kaiju in the stimulator three times, and every time it got better and better. Kageyama was a quick thinker and a good observant. The matched each other well.

"How was the Drift?"

Tendō was waiting for him when he stepped out of the stimulator.

"It's good." Ushijima replied, turning toward Kageyama who just stepped out of the stimulator. "Kageyeyama, this is Tendō."

To Ushijima's surprised, Kageyama was startled. The younger pilot looked at him then turned toward Tendō.

' _He didn't expect to be talked to'_  was the first thought that came to Ushijima's mind.  _He didn't think anyone would be friendly toward him._

"Hi, Kageyama-kun!" nevertheless, Tendō wasn't hesitated to start the conversation. "How was the Drift? Is my thick-skull friend over there gave you any problems?"

"Um…hi…" it was obvious that Kageyama was nervous, but the younger pilot still tried his best to socialize. "There is no problem at all. The Drift was good."

"Wow, you two are meant to be together!" Tendō laughed out loud. Ushijima had a feeling that the redhead was referring to how he and Kageyama talked. "Straight and to the point, I like it. Go get change and meet me at hanger 3, I'm going to take you both somewhere. My treat!"

"Excuse…" Kageyama was about to protest, but Tendō walked away before the young pilot would have a chance to decline the offer.

"If I were you, I wouldn't decline his offer." Ushijima spoke up when Kageyama turned toward him. "It's rare for Tendō to give someone a treat."

He then turned and walked away, somehow knew that Kageyama would get the hint. Strangely, despite what Kageyama had done, Ushijima had to admit that he felt at ease when he drifted with the younger pilot. It's like…it's like Kageyama was a partner he had been looking for all along. Their nerve impulse matched each other so well and the connection was stronger than any bond he had experienced.

Ushijima found himself smiling as he walked back to his quarter. And this was the first time he was able to smile liked this after his last Drift with Tendō.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**TBC.**


End file.
